Origin
The son of an abusive father and a mother who abandoned him, Leonard Snart was raised in poverty outside of Central City. As a child his only good influence was his grandfather, an ice delivery man whose job caused the young Leonard to associate cold with positive feelings. His father, meanwhile, instilled in him an emotional coldness, particularly after his grandfather died when he was twelve. As a young man he ran away from home, leaving his sister Lisa alone with their father, as he did not want her to get involved in his life of crime. During his first job he was apprehended by the Flash. In prison, he learned about and stole a cold engine that put himself and Flash on a more even footing.
Creation
Captain Cold was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. Captain Cold made his first comic book appearance in June 1957 in the pages of Showcase #8.
Character Evolution
Silver Age
Captain Cold was introduced, and remained largely unchanged through subsequent iterations.
Modern Age
Early in the Modern Age, Captain Cold reformed. This was initially described as being due to boredom following the death of the Flash. This was retconned several years later, and instead attributed to the machinations of the Top.
New 52
Following Flashpoint, Cold was rebooted as a younger man with the same origin as previously, however his sister had not yet joined the Rogues. He briefly gained cryokinesis, but lost the power soon after.
Major Story Arcs
The Flash
Cold clashes repeatedly with the Flash, often in conjunction with the Rogues, a villain team that he creates. He also helps found the Secret Society of Super Villains. He and his sister briefly reform and run a bounty hunting operation, but he ultimately returns to crime.
Underworld Unleashed
Along with four other Rogues, Cold is approached by former teammate Abra Kadabra, who offers them a chance to become real villains. He sells his soul to Neron, but is double-crossed and killed in order to facilitate Neron’s arrival on Earth. His soul is sent to Hell, but his body is returned to Earth as a powerful, soulless killing machine. He is restored to his body after Neron is defeated
Crossfire
After the team collapses following the reformation of several Rogues, the villain Blacksmith reconstitutes the team. Cold is not invited to join, and, angered by someone taking his team from him, he begins to sabotage their efforts. He helps Fred Chyre and Jared Morillo rescue Cyborg and the other hostages that are being held in the Mirror World. Later, he helps Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and the Trickster escape the Flash. Reunited, he reforms the Rogues.
Identity Crisis
In the middle of robbing a bank with the Rogues, Cold halts the crime upon hearing that Sue Dibny has been murdered. Abandoning the scene, he instructs Mirror Master to send flowers to Ralph Dibny in condolence. After the death of Captain Boomerang, Cold takes in Owen Mercer, Boomerang’s son, who at the time he believes to be his nephew.
Rogue War
Cold begins to rebuild his team and forge alliances with other, powerful villains, such as Gorilla Grodd. This draws the attention of the FBI and the former Rogues who have since reformed. He and his team are attacked by the reformed Rogues, initiating a city-wide battle. He fights Heat Wave and briefly the Flash. When Top reveals his hand in turning the Rogues against one another, Cold freezes and shatters him. Later, he fights Top’s new Rogues, before escaping with his team when Flash is distracted by Professor Zoom and Hunter Zolomon. He decides that the team should join Lex Luthor’s Secret Society.
Full Throttle
Cold and the Rogues are invited by Inertia to join him in a plot that he claims will allow them to freeze time and plunder the world. Instead of freezing the world however, the machine steals Bart Allen’s powers. He and his team defeat Allen, but realize they have been used when they unmask him and see his relationship to Inertia. When Allen attempts to regain his speed Cold and several other team members fire on him, killing him.
Salvation Run
Cold and the Rogues are the first villains sent to the prison planet Salvation. When other villains begin arriving two weeks later, he sides with Team Lex. He leaves the planet through Luthor’s teleporter.
Final Crisis
Embittered by the lack of support shown to the Rogues following the death of Bart Allen, Cold refuses to join Libra’s Secret Society. Libra sends a team of knock-off Rogues after them, who kidnap Cold’s father and demand they turn themselves in to Libra. Cold leads his team in killing the new Rogues, and has Heat Wave kill his father. Planning to retire after seeking revenge on Inertia, he and his team track him down. Together they kill him, and Cold leaves his body with a note telling Flash that they are now even. He decides not to retire upon learning that Barry Allen has returned.
Blackest Night
During the Blackest Night he leads the Rogues against the dead Rogues, who are attacking Iron Heights. He meets the Black Lantern Golden Glider, who tries to leverage his love for her in order to defeat him. He is able to suppress his love, and freezes her. He later successfully freezes all other zombies, unknowingly saving Flash from the Black Lantern Professor Zoom when he freezes Zoom’s currently living body. He kills Owen Mercer by pushing him into a pit with the Black Lantern Captain Boomerang upon discovering that Owen has been feeding women and children to his father.
The Dastardly Death of the Rogues
Cold approaches the newly revived Captain Boomerang, instructing him to break out of prison on his own if he wishes to rejoin the Rogues. When the Renegades arrive from the future, Cold and his team briefly battle them, as well as fighting the Flash. He and his Rogues retreat after exposing Flash to the slow-acting poison of the looking glass.
Gorilla Warfare
Leading the Rogues, Cold has his team use a genome recorder to give themselves powers. The procedure backfires, and for a time he and the Rogues fall apart. When Gorilla Grodd and his army attack, Cold and the Rogues join forces to combat them. He creates a massive ice structure which Mirror Master and Glider are able to pull the hostages into the safety of the Mirror World. He has the team set the hostages free, after robbing them.
Forever Evil
He and his team are invited to join the Crime Syndicate’s Secret Society, but he refuses after seeing the devastation that has been wrought on Central City. He leads the team to protect Glider, but he and the Rogues are attacked at her hospital by Deathstorm and Power Ring. Deathstorm extracts his powers from him. He and the team manage to escape, but he is separated from the rest when Power Ring smashes the window they use to escape. He joins Lex Luthor and several other villains who are resisting Syndicate rule. He infiltrates the Watchtower with the rest of the team, and shatters Johnny Quick’s leg. Later, he unmasks Mazahs.
Justice League
After the Syndicate is defeated, he is hailed as a hero. He is pardoned by the government for his former crimes with Lex Luthor’s help, and invited to become Luthor’s head of security. He agrees, and protects Luthor against several threats on his life. Following the outbreak of the Amazo Virus, he is one of the few to remain uninfected. He saves Luthor from an assassination attempt by Bullet. He freezes the infected Flash, and helps drive back the rest of the infected using his cold gun.
Alternate Versions
Justice League Adventures
Captain Cold appears in two issues of these comics which tie into the animated series.
DC: The New Frontier
Cold appears briefly robbing a Las Vegas casino and planning to freeze the city with cryogenic bombs. He is defeated by Flash.
DC Super Friends
Cold is a member of the Ice Pack, a team of ice-themed villains.
Teen Titans Go!
A teenage version of Cold, called Kid Kold, appears as Jinx’s boyfriend in an issue of the comics based on the television series.
Renegades
Commander Cold is a heroic cop version of Cold from the 25th century. Like Cold, Commander Cold is the leader of his team, the Renegades
Flashpoint
In the alternate Flashpoint timeline, Citizen Cold is a hero who protects Central City as his universe’s version of The Flash. He has killed several of his villains, and implied to be hiding a terrible secret. He is frozen by Iris West.
DC Universe Online Legends
Captain Cold is killed by Lex Luthor while trying to defend Superman, who has been poisoned by Kryptonite.
Injustice: Gods Among Us
Cold is attacked by Flash, who is trying to find out where Mirror Master has taken Superman’s parents. He gives up Mirror Master’s location when Flash turns his own gun back on him, freezing him in place.
Earth-3
Leonard Snart is a police officer who is assigned to capture Jonathan Allen and Rhonda Pineda. He and Mick Rory, his partner, are captured by the villains, and Rory is forced to beat Snart to death.
The Flash: Season Zero
The version of Cold introduced on the Flash television series appears in this comic book adaptation.
Powers and Abilities
Cold has no superhuman powers or abilities. He briefly possessed the capacity for cryokinesis, gained after he fused his DNA with his cold gun using a genome recoder. However, this capacity was stripped from him by Deathstorm. He is fairly intelligent and a skilled leader and tactician, with particular skill in planning crimes. His careful study of his gun has left him with a certain level of mechanical engineering skill, and he is able to completely rebuild the gun from scratch with limited time and resources.
Weapons and Equipment
Captain Cold carries a cold gun that creates absolute zero, that is, it is capable of completely inhibiting atomic movement. The gun can be used to a variety of effects, including: freezing objects in blocks of ice; generating cold fields that will slow any person or object that enters it; creating ice patches that are slippery or reflective; and generating icicles. He also wears a pair of snow goggles designed to limit the glare given off by his gun and enable him to see clearly while firing.
Character Profile
- Height: 5’11”
- Weight: 198 lbs
- Eye Color: Blue
- Hair Color: Brown
- Citizenship: American
- Marital Status: Single
- Occupation: Professional criminal
- Known Relatives: Lawrence Snart (father), Lisa Snart (sister)
Other Media
Film
Justice League: The New Frontier
Cold appears in this adaptation of the alternate universe title of the same name. He is voiced by James Arnold Taylor
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Cold appears alongside several other cold-based villains attempting to collect the bounty on Superman and Batman. They succeed in defeating Batman, but are themselves defeated by Superman. He is voiced by Michael Gough.
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
Cold appears alongside several other Rogues. Initially attacking the Flash, they are betrayed by Professor Zoom, who attaches irremovable bombs to all of them. He is saved by Wonder Woman. Later, his alternate universe double Citizen Cold appears. He is voiced by Danny Jacobs.
JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time
Cold is a member of the Legion of Doom, and accidentally freezes Lex Luthor in a sheet of ice while battling the Justice League. He is voiced by Corey Burton.
Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League
Cold appears in this direct-to-video film. He is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom
Cold appears as a member of the Legion of Doom in this direct to video film. Kevin Michael Richardson reprises the role.
Television
Challenge of the Superfriends
Cold appears as a member of the Legion of Doom in several episodes. He makes his first appearance in the episode “Invasion of the Fearians.” In some episodes he is voiced by Michael Bell, in others by Dick Ryal.
The Flash
Cold is the primary antagonist in the episode “Captain Cold.” This version of the character is an albino hitman named Leonard Wynters. He is played by Michael Champion.
Justice League Unlimited
Cold appears alongside several Rogues in the episode “Flash and Substance,” in which they team up to kill the Flash. He is voiced by Lex Lang.
Batman: The Brave and The Bold
Cold appears alongside other Rogues in the episode “Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!” He is voiced by Steven Blum.
Young Justice
Cold appears in several episodes of this series, making his first appearance in “Independence Day.” In “Terrors” he is one of the cold-themed villains who attempts to break out of Belle Reve. He is voiced by Alan Tudyk.
Smallville
Cold appears briefly in shadows in the episode “Prophecy.” He is instructed to kill Impulse.
DC Nation Shorts
Cold appears in the short “Animal Man vs Captain Cold”. Kevin Michael Richardson reprises the role.
Lego Batman: Be-Leaguered
Cold appears in this TV short. Kevin Michael Richardson reprises the role.
The Flash
Cold appears as a recurring antagonist in several episodes of this series, making his first appearance in the episode “Going Rogue.” Throughout the series he slowly begins gathering villains to join the Rogues. He is portrayed by Wentworth Miller.
Miller even appeared in the “Crisis On Earth-X” crossover as Citizen Cold, a heroic version of Captain Cold, of Earth-X. Citizen Cold is a Freedom Fighter and a homosexual who is in love with Ray Terrill a.k.a. The Ray of Earth-1.
Legends of Tomorrow
Cold appears as one of the protagonists in this spin-off of The Flash, making his first appearance in “Pilot, Part 1.” Following the conclusion of the first series, during which he sacrifices himself, a past version of Cold becomes an antagonist and member of the Legion of Doom in the second series. Wentworth Miller reprises the role.
Video Games
Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Video Game
Cold appears as an antagonist in this video game based on the television series. Steve Blum reprises the role.
DC Universe Online
In the hero campaign, Cold appears alongside several of the Rogues as a boss in Stryker’s Island Penitentiary Alert. He also appears as part of the Central City Bounties portion of the Lightning Strikes downloadable content. In the villain campaign, he appears offering missions to high level villains in the Hall of Doom. He is voiced by Ryan Wickerham
Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes
Cold appears in this game. Steve Blum reprises the role.
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Cold is a playable character in this game. He is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.